Fall 2023 | RELS 3626W Section 001: Witches, Seers, and Saints: Women, Gender, and Religion in the U.S. (32416)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person
- Class Attributes:
- UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
- Meets With:
- GWSS 3626W Section 001
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session09/05/2023 - 12/13/2023Mon, Wed 02:30PM - 03:45PMUMTC, East BankFolwell Hall 30
- Enrollment Status:
- Open (4 of 12 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- This course examines the development and ramifications of gender ideologies within several religious groups in North America from the colonial period to the present and explores women's strategies that have contributed to and resisted these ideologies.
- Class Description:
Religions are all about power - divine power, social power, and personal empowerment. Within most religions, power is unequally or differently distributed with regard to sex and gender, typically along patriarchal lines. In this course, we will ask questions about the distribution of power within religions, with particular regard to those who identify as cis- and LGBTQIA. How do religions oppress on the basis of gender? Do they empower on that basis? Do religions allow for or suppress gender norms and fluidities? Do they enforce the status quo or offer a vehicle for resistance or change? What is at stake for religious groups when gender issues arise?
This course presents a historically-based examination of the construction of gender ideals by religious groups in America (predominantly) and the role of gender in the transformations of religions since the 17th century. Our investigations will touch upon several traditions, including Protestantism (Puritan, evangelical) Catholicism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Vodou. We will focus on individuals, ideas, and practices that have threatened/challenged (witches) orthodox ideals and practices, advanced/led/transformed (seers) them, and embrace/modeled (saints) them. We will look at how gendered practices have shaped religious beliefs, practices, and experiences from the colonial period to the present, and we will flip the categories to explore how religions define gender - feminine, masculine, and LGBTQ.
- Who Should Take This Class?:
- Students interested in gender issues, in religion in America, or in cultural and social processes. Students interested in improving their writing skills.
- Learning Objectives:
Ø Gain knowledge of the history of women in the U.S. across several traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Vodou
Ø Gain knowledge of how religious constructions of gender have both oppressed and empowered women across these traditions
Ø Develop a set of analytical categories and methods that help shed light on the development and ramifications of religious constructions of gender and gender roles
Ø Engage with ethical consequences of the historical situations and trajectories regarding these gender constructs
Ø Practice using writing to develop ideas and effectively communicate them
Ø Hone the ability to critically assess one's own writing- Grading:
- 15% Participation20% Weekly Canvas discussion posts40% Two take-home exams25% 8-10 page research paper
- Exam Format:
- Take-home essay format.
- Class Format:
- Lecture/discussion
- Workload:
- Reading assignments averaging 50-60 pages per week. Two online writings of 1-2 paragraphs per week.
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/32416/1239
- Past Syllabi:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jkilde_RELS3626W_Fall2021.docx (Fall 2021)
http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jkilde_RELS3626W_Fall2017.pdf (Fall 2017) - Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 11 May 2021
Fall 2021 | RELS 3626W Section 001: Witches, Seers, and Saints: Women, Gender, and Religion in the U.S. (35695)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person Term Based
- Class Attributes:
- UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
- Meets With:
- GWSS 3626W Section 001
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session09/07/2021 - 12/15/2021Mon, Wed 02:30PM - 03:45PMUMTC, East BankNicholson Hall 135
- Enrollment Status:
- Open (4 of 20 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- This course examines the development and ramifications of gender ideologies within several religious groups in North America from the colonial period to the present and explores women's strategies that have contributed to and resisted these ideologies.
- Class Description:
Religions are all about power - divine power, social power, and personal empowerment. Within most religions, power is unequally or differently distributed with regard to sex and gender, typically along patriarchal lines. In this course, we will ask questions about the distribution of power within religions, with particular regard to those who identify as cis- and LGBTQIA. How do religions oppress on the basis of gender? Do they empower on that basis? Do religions allow for or suppress gender norms and fluidities? Do they enforce the status quo or offer a vehicle for resistance or change? What is at stake for religious groups when gender issues arise?
This course presents a historically-based examination of the construction of gender ideals by religious groups in America (predominantly) and the role of gender in the transformations of religions since the 17th century. Our investigations will touch upon several traditions, including Protestantism (Puritan, evangelical) Catholicism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Vodou. We will focus on individuals, ideas, and practices that have threatened/challenged (witches) orthodox ideals and practices, advanced/led/transformed (seers) them, and embrace/modeled (saints) them. We will look at how gendered practices have shaped religious beliefs, practices, and experiences from the colonial period to the present, and we will flip the categories to explore how religions define gender - feminine, masculine, and LGBTQ.
- Who Should Take This Class?:
- Students interested in gender issues, in religion in America, or in cultural and social processes. Students interested in improving their writing skills.
- Learning Objectives:
Ø Gain knowledge of the history of women in the U.S. across several traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Vodou
Ø Gain knowledge of how religious constructions of gender have both oppressed and empowered women across these traditions
Ø Develop a set of analytical categories and methods that help shed light on the development and ramifications of religious constructions of gender and gender roles
Ø Engage with ethical consequences of the historical situations and trajectories regarding these gender constructs
Ø Practice using writing to develop ideas and effectively communicate them
Ø Hone the ability to critically assess one's own writing- Grading:
- 15% Participation20% Weekly Canvas discussion posts40% Two take-home exams25% 8-10 page research paper
- Exam Format:
- Take-home essay format.
- Class Format:
- Lecture/discussion
- Workload:
- Reading assignments averaging 50-60 pages per week. Two online writings of 1-2 paragraphs per week.
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/35695/1219
- Syllabus:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jkilde_RELS3626W_Fall2021.docx
- Past Syllabi:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jkilde_RELS3626W_Fall2017.pdf (Fall 2017)
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 11 May 2021
Fall 2020 | RELS 3626W Section 001: Witches, Seers, and Saints: Women, Gender, and Religion in the U.S. (33643)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- Completely Online
- Class Attributes:
- UMNTC Liberal Education RequirementOnline Course
- Meets With:
- GWSS 3626W Section 001
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session09/08/2020 - 12/16/2020Mon, Wed 04:00PM - 05:15PMOff CampusUMN REMOTE
- Enrollment Status:
- Closed (11 of 10 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- This course examines the development and ramifications of gender ideologies within several religious groups in North America from the colonial period to the present and explores women's strategies that have contributed to and resisted these ideologies.
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?RELS3626W+Fall2020 This course is completely online in a synchronous format. The course will meet online at the scheduled times.
- Class Description:
- 0A
Do religions oppress women? Do they empower them? Do religions allow for or suppress gender norms and fluidities? Do they enforce the status quo or offer a vehicle for resistance or change? Gender is a fundamental category addressed by all religions. From Hindu goddesses like Kali and Lakshmi, to Christian saints like Mary and Anne, and Muslim leaders like Aisha, female figures populate many traditions. Some explicitly serve as idealizations of womenhood, others have more complex functions and interpretive trajectories. Beyond such idealized figures, also lie deep histories of social negotiations over gender roles, power, and the limits of personal expression. This course willexamine the history of women and religion in America using gender as our category of critical analysis. Our investigations will touch upon several traditions, including Protestantism (Puritan, evangelical) Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Buddhism, and Vodou. It will explore individuals, ideas, and practices that have threatened/challenged (witches), advanced/led/transformed (seers), and embrace/modeled (saints) orthodox ideals and practices. We will look at how both women and gender ideologies have influenced religious beliefs and practices from the colonial period to the present, and we will flip the categories to explore the many ways that religion influences and works to define gender - feminine, masculine, and GLBT.
Because no person's experience of religion or gender occurs outside of other central components of identity, particularly ethnicity and race, these factors will also be taken into account in our explorations. The course will be divided into three overlapping units focused on specific themes across two or more traditions: I. Theology, Gender and Authority; II. Sexuality, Marriage, Family Roles and Religion; III. The Body, Suffering, Healing, and Religious Authority.
0A - Who Should Take This Class?:
- Students interested in gender issues, in religion in America, or in cultural and social processes. Students interested in improving their writing skills.
- Learning Objectives:
- 0A
Ø
To gain an understanding of the history of women in the U.S. across several traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and VodouØ
To become familiar with examples of how religious constructions of gender have both oppressed and empowered women across these traditionsØ
To develop a set of analytical categories and methods that help shed light on the development and ramifications of religious constructions of gender and gender rolesØ
To engage with ethical consequences of the historical situations and trajectories regarding these gender constructsØ
To develop an analytical perspective on how religious transformations regarding gender occurØ
To develop a critical attitude towards one's own writing skillsØ
To work on using writing to develop ideas and effectively communicate them - Grading:
- 20% Participation and online writings60% Three take-home essay exams20% 10-page research paper
- Exam Format:
- Take-home essay exams
- Class Format:
- Lecture/discussion
- Workload:
- Reading assignments averaging 50-60 pages per week. Two online writings of 1-2 paragraphs per week.
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/33643/1209
- Past Syllabi:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jkilde_RELS3626W_Fall2021.docx (Fall 2021)
http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jkilde_RELS3626W_Fall2017.pdf (Fall 2017) - Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 6 April 2020
Fall 2018 | RELS 3626W Section 001: Witches, Seers, and Saints: Women, Gender, and Religion in the U.S. (34052)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person Term Based
- Class Attributes:
- UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
- Meets With:
- GWSS 3626W Section 001
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session09/04/2018 - 12/12/2018Mon, Wed 04:00PM - 05:15PMUMTC, East BankNicholson Hall 145
- Enrollment Status:
- Open (17 of 30 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- This course examines the development and ramifications of gender ideologies within several religious groups in North America from the colonial period to the present and explores women's strategies that have contributed to and resisted these ideologies.
- Class Notes:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/?RELS3626W+Fall2018
- Class Description:
- 0A
Do religions oppress women? Do they empower them? Do religions allow for or suppress gender norms and fluidities? Do they enforce the status quo or offer a vehicle for resistance or change? Gender is a fundamental category addressed by all religions. From Hindu goddesses like Kali and Lakshmi, to Christian saints like Mary and Anne, and Muslim leaders like Aisha, female figures populate many traditions. Some explicitly serve as idealizations of womenhood, others have more complex functions and interpretive trajectories. Beyond such idealized figures, also lie deep histories of social negotiations over gender roles, power, and the limits of personal expression. This course willexamine the history of women and religion in America using gender as our category of critical analysis. Our investigations will touch upon several traditions, including Protestantism (Puritan, evangelical) Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Buddhism, and Vodou. It will explore individuals, ideas, and practices that have threatened/challenged (witches), advanced/led/transformed (seers), and embrace/modeled (saints) orthodox ideals and practices. We will look at how both women and gender ideologies have influenced religious beliefs and practices from the colonial period to the present, and we will flip the categories to explore the many ways that religion influences and works to define gender - feminine, masculine, and GLBT.
Because no person's experience of religion or gender occurs outside of other central components of identity, particularly ethnicity and race, these factors will also be taken into account in our explorations. The course will be divided into three overlapping units focused on specific themes across two or more traditions: I. Theology, Gender and Authority; II. Sexuality, Marriage, Family Roles and Religion; III. The Body, Suffering, Healing, and Religious Authority.
0A - Who Should Take This Class?:
- Students interested in gender issues, in religion in America, or in cultural and social processes. Students interested in improving their writing skills.
- Learning Objectives:
- 0A
Ø
To gain an understanding of the history of women in the U.S. across several traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and VodouØ
To become familiar with examples of how religious constructions of gender have both oppressed and empowered women across these traditionsØ
To develop a set of analytical categories and methods that help shed light on the development and ramifications of religious constructions of gender and gender rolesØ
To engage with ethical consequences of the historical situations and trajectories regarding these gender constructsØ
To develop an analytical perspective on how religious transformations regarding gender occurØ
To develop a critical attitude towards one's own writing skillsØ
To work on using writing to develop ideas and effectively communicate them - Grading:
- 20% Participation and online writings60% Three take-home essay exams20% 10-page research paper
- Exam Format:
- Take-home essay exams
- Class Format:
- Lecture/discussion
- Workload:
- Reading assignments averaging 50-75 pages per week. Two online writings of 1-2 paragraphs per week.
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/34052/1189
- Past Syllabi:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jkilde_RELS3626W_Fall2021.docx (Fall 2021)
http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jkilde_RELS3626W_Fall2017.pdf (Fall 2017) - Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 20 July 2017
Fall 2017 | RELS 3626W Section 001: Witches, Seers, and Saints: Women, Gender, and Religion in the U.S. (36737)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person Term Based
- Times and Locations:
- Regular Academic Session09/05/2017 - 12/13/2017Mon, Wed 04:00PM - 05:15PMUMTC, East BankNicholson Hall 115
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- This course examines the development and ramifications of gender ideologies within several religious groups in North America from the colonial period to the present and explores women's strategies that have contributed to and resisted these ideologies.
- Class Description:
- 0A
Do religions oppress women? Do they empower them? Do religions allow for or suppress gender norms and fluidities? Do they enforce the status quo or offer a vehicle for resistance or change? Gender is a fundamental category addressed by all religions. From Hindu goddesses like Kali and Lakshmi, to Christian saints like Mary and Anne, and Muslim leaders like Aisha, female figures populate many traditions. Some explicitly serve as idealizations of womenhood, others have more complex functions and interpretive trajectories. Beyond such idealized figures, also lie deep histories of social negotiations over gender roles, power, and the limits of personal expression. This course willexamine the history of women and religion in America using gender as our category of critical analysis. Our investigations will touch upon several traditions, including Protestantism (Puritan, evangelical) Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, Buddhism, and Vodou. It will explore individuals, ideas, and practices that have threatened/challenged (witches), advanced/led/transformed (seers), and embrace/modeled (saints) orthodox ideals and practices. We will look at how both women and gender ideologies have influenced religious beliefs and practices from the colonial period to the present, and we will flip the categories to explore the many ways that religion influences and works to define gender - feminine, masculine, and GLBT.
Because no person's experience of religion or gender occurs outside of other central components of identity, particularly ethnicity and race, these factors will also be taken into account in our explorations. The course will be divided into three overlapping units focused on specific themes across two or more traditions: I. Theology, Gender and Authority; II. Sexuality, Marriage, Family Roles and Religion; III. The Body, Suffering, Healing, and Religious Authority.
0A - Who Should Take This Class?:
- Students interested in gender issues, in religion in America, or in cultural and social processes. Students interested in improving their writing skills.
- Learning Objectives:
- 0A
Ø
To gain an understanding of the history of women in the U.S. across several traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and VodouØ
To become familiar with examples of how religious constructions of gender have both oppressed and empowered women across these traditionsØ
To develop a set of analytical categories and methods that help shed light on the development and ramifications of religious constructions of gender and gender rolesØ
To engage with ethical consequences of the historical situations and trajectories regarding these gender constructsØ
To develop an analytical perspective on how religious transformations regarding gender occurØ
To develop a critical attitude towards one's own writing skillsØ
To work on using writing to develop ideas and effectively communicate them - Grading:
- 20% Participation and online writings60% Three take-home essay exams20% 10-page research paper
- Exam Format:
- Take-home essay exams
- Class Format:
- Lecture/discussion
- Workload:
- Reading assignments averaging 50-75 pages per week. Two online writings of 1-2 paragraphs per week.
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/36737/1179
- Syllabus:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jkilde_RELS3626W_Fall2017.pdf
- Past Syllabi:
- http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/jkilde_RELS3626W_Fall2021.docx (Fall 2021)
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 20 July 2017
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